Backpacks...

[Vhan]

So can anyone tell me what the sweet-spot on backpack sizes are when it comes to people to NOT be  takeing it away from you to get on a plane? From what I have gatherd so far a 40L leaves to much room for me to overpack, and would get taken away from me when traveling...Hmmm...

A 32-38L pack then maybe?

[Applette]

Tough call...I wouldn't go with less than 35 litres, unless you're a VERY light packer. But then, I'm getting nervous about downsizing to a 48 litre pack. 

Weight, size, volume restrictions for carry-on baggage are like airline tickets, changes all the time. I'd challenge anyone to find any 2 check-in staff that apply the rules the same way. Practice your nicest smile and fluttering eyelashes technique, it might come in handy. 

Make sure you've got a smaller day bag with you for your valuables just in case you have to check the larger one or be separated from it on a bus or train.

[Greg]

Yeah,

35 litres for a long trip is very efficient but requires some packing cutbacks for sure.  It will also be motivation for you not to buy cheap junk at markets too.

Applette is 100% right, its just like visa rules and entering a country...sometimes the rules are enforced, sometimes they aren't!  And yes, a smile, attitude, and appearance (take a shower!) have all helped me over the edge when it could have swung either way.  I'm afraid with all the budget snips and problems that airlines are having, the rules and weight limits are only going to get stricter.

I think the most important part about a backpack is if you can wear it.  It shouldn't be some dead-weight beast that you drop at every opportunity...you should be able to walk for
miles...or days...in the thing if necessary.  Lots of bus/train stations are on the edges of towns and you can save a small fortune just by walking to the town square lots of times.

[Vhan]

Ok then,

Just to make things clear (becuase I'm still sloppy on the jargon) when I said "Overpack" I think I was really trying to say "Just enough room to pack what I need, and not have room to pick up useless things along the way"

Two bags sound like a good idea, but what would the second bag be? A messanger bag? or a smaller bag to fit in the bigger one? A messenger bag sounds like it would throw me off balance, hurting me a bit. And somewere I read that "everyone knows that a backpacker keeps thier importent stuff in the smaller bag"...Do you guys have two bags? what is your set up like?

I'm starting to think of haveing a 40L-ish pack, and a smaller pack inside.

The people at REI are gonna have fun with me...I'm gonna spend some time just walking around with the bag on LOL!

And I'm thinking of Osprey, or gregory. I like them both, but the back acess zippers on some of the gregory packs make me nervous...But maybe I'm being TOO paranoid?

[Applette]

Sounds like 40 litres will work best for you...

I recommend you test drive your bag first. Make sure the store as a flexible return policy, buy one, and test drive it fully loaded, even if it means just walking around your neighbourhood for a couple of hours feeling a bit conspicuous. If the pack's at all uncomfortable, pinches, sags, feels weird, return it and try again.

I totally agree with Greg, being able to walk comfortably even for just a few km's with your pack can save you a lot of $$$ and hassle in many places. I once had to schlupp my way too heavy backpack around for close to two hours and to 4 different guest houses in one city before finding a place to stay. There were no taxis, had to walk....thank the travel gods I had a very fit, 6' 2" travel companion with me that time. 

A messenger style bag is my preferred  2nd bag/day bag. It's smaller than a traditional messenger bag and zips closed completely. It's comfortable enough to wear at the same time as my main pack. I'm not a fan of the backpack day bag, only because I'd rather have my day bag in front of me close to my body.

I don't travel light enough (yet!) to carry everything including my day bag in one main backpack, but many travelers do.

Most regular department stores carry a wide selection of lightweight, cheap backpacks and shoulder bags suitable to use as a packable day bag.

Speaking of osprey, their line of messenger bags look really nice....wish I'd had that option when I bought mine last year.

http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/TravelCouriers/

Gregory makes excellent packs as well...I'm in the market for a new pack and the Gregory Jade 50 is one of the bags I'm considering.

[Vhan]

That bag on the link looks a little bit big don't you think?

I'm assumeing that, that pack would be the one I would be carrying my passports, identification, etc in. Right?

I definitley only want a single zipper, my friends used to love pickpockting me with my school messanger bag, and thier repeated sucesses make me worry.

[Greg]

I've got 2 Gregory packs (a 55 and a 40L) and love both of them....in fact, they are damn near indestructible it seems. 

I put a tiny little combo lock where the 2 outside zippers come together, I've also just used 2 mini-carabiners and clip them to each other,
that way it takes noise and effort to get it undone.  I did the same thing to my daybag after catching a homeless guy elbow deep in my
bag while walking in Kunming, China last year!

I traveled for 1 year with a single pack, putting my daybag down inside of the larger bag.  A daybag is a necessity for me, but that's just my
travel style.  I picked a small one that was "soft" and crushable so it would fit inside the bigger bag easy.  All that went away when I started
carrying an SLR camera + accessories...now I look perpetually over packed thanks to expensive equipment....[sigh]. 

I kept my passport in a passport belt and on my body for a year. It only came off to swim and shower.  It has absorbed so much sweat and filth that
you can hardly read it now....lol.  If you do put it into a little daybag, keep that thing close. Lost passport = trip is over immediately for Americans now.

Its cool to go with a smaller bag, but remember - regardless of size, you never want to leave the house with the thing completely full!  You will undoubtedly
end up having to carry something else along at some point and won't have any room for it.

[Applette]

A messenger bag might be big for some...mine's 20 litres, about the same size as the Osprey Torque model in the link I posted. Most regular size backpack day bags are between 18 and 24 litres. I've got  an eagle creek messenger bag which carries nice and flat against my body when there's not much inside and is still comfortable when packed full.

I've never been one to travel with just one bag...still working on that!    ....I also tend to pack as much as I can in my day bag when taking a long haul flight or a flight with many connections. My main pack gets checked with  mostly non-essential, easily replaceable gear. I can still manage with the the contents of my day bag if my main pack is delayed or lost. A bigger day bag can allow you to carry a smaller main pack as well if you plan on choosing the 2 bag route.

I also use the carabiner trick to keep my day bag sort of pick proof...at least it takes a lot more effort to get into the bag unnoticed, which discourages most thieves.

Like Greg mentions, essentials, like passport, credit card, money, travelers cheques, should be carried in a concealed money belt. You can still manage to keep traveling if you lose everything as long as you still have your passport and some money.

[Vhan]

Money belt for passports, okay. That makes me a lot less worried about my "what bag is safer for my stuff" delimma.

I'm all for haveing a messanger bag on the side, that optional 20L sounds Really nice as long as I can keep it from weighing to much. I need to borrow my friends school books and weigh them in my messanger bag, because that weight used to kill my neck after a week of school. (At 5lbs a book-ish, thats at least 20 lbs most days) But I'm sure whatever I'm packing should be lighter than that...eh?

Plus that "Do you REALLY have to buy that, its gonna be hanging from your neck for a few months ya' know" should keep me from getting spending syndrome.

And whats the carebiner trick?
And, just to bring me up to speed, clear something up for me if you can, it looks like to me there are uh, two "styles" of extra bags. The "daypack" kept in your main bag, and a outside messenger bag. Or just only one bag right? (Wondering what all the options are I guess)

THANKS! 

[Anna]

I often wish my backpack was bigger. It's.... 40-something L... and I don't remember the brand... (I'm such a bad backpacker.) but while it's nice sometimes to have a smallish bag (especially when people comment "wow! you pack light for a girl") I would like something a little bigger for my next trip, just to have some breathing space. You never know when the only soap/shampoo bottles you can buy in a certain place will be huge, when you might have 3 books you want to read, and when you spot a souvenier you would really like to take home without having to spend a lot of money on sending a package. I also find that I don't tend to walk extremely long distances with my bag, so having a larger one wouldn't add much strain to my back. Okay, okay, even though it'll make all true backpackers look down on me with shame, I'll admit that my backpack also converts in to a rolley bag, so I can be lazy in airports, etc, when I like.

My day bag also makes me seem like less of a backpacker I guess. I use a long-strapped soft bag, somewhat similar to a messenger bag. It's big enough to fit my bulky camera, guidebook, reading book, etc. The fact that it looks like a purse usually makes me feel less conspicuous walking around. It's my 5th limb- I never put it down. When I walk around I naturally put my right arm on top of it, and no attempts have been made to steal anything so far.

[Vhan]

Hmmmm, well, in that case the 40L pack, and a messanger bag sounds good to me. I'm allready used to my messanger bag, so I think the switch would be better than a daypack, plus a daypack would prod me into a bigger primary pack size, and for whatever reason I want to avoid that.

I don't have a camera, and really dont quite like the idea of lugging something around with me that I have to baby, so maybe I'll have some more space floating around my mess bag.

...oh, a 20L mess bag does sound bit big, but it seems that it just might pay off to have one if I really want that smaller pack on my back.

I'm gonan try and find a smaller one

[Vhan]

Well, I looked around google, found a lot of different things! gregory makes some nice ones, the price is a little steep for a mess bag IMO ($79 US dollars) but should be well worth it.

[Greg]

Hey Vhan,

If you found a bag that you like, just for giggles look for that model on Ebay and Craigslist....lots of used backpacks out there for cheap from people coming
home and needing cash.  Backpacks last forever and are easy enough to repair anyway. You are so correct about lugging something around to baby...I bloody hate traveling with electronics, especially expensive ones like laptop and camera, but I guess that's the name of the game if I want to play writer for a while. 

Anna,
You ARE a hardcore backpacker....minus the attitude and the dreads (or have you done it yet? ) love reading your blog - reminds me of my thoughts on
my very first trip to Thailand, Egypt, etc. Its cool too because I remember you being a little nervous about going to all these places as a young, solo female and now you have been kicking butt....a great example for dispelling the fear that Americans have about traveling alone!

Anna's blog:  http://blogs.bootsnall.com/AnnaM/

[Vhan]

Reminder: check out Anna's blog 

K then greg, Sounds good to me, 40L pack, with a 10L mess bag, 50L total (and hopefully I won't actually have to use most of that mess bag, I'll try to keep it as low to 40L as possible)

If you guys would like, can you describe what you keep in your daypack/messbag? Just trying to get an idea of were this stuff is all going, it will really help!

thanks!

[Applette]

Hi Anna! Glad to hear you're having a great time. I loved Egypt, even the touts didn't take away the magic!

Vhan, in my day bag (which in my case is a messenger bag), I normally carry whatever I need for the day when I'm away from my accommodations sightseeing, at the beach etc.

water
hat
sunscreen
towel
guidebook (if I'm using one) or map
camera and related bits
mp3 player (I rarely use it, but I would never leave it at the hostel)
tissues
insect repellent
journal + pen
sunglasses
snack
a few bandages
cotton scarf/sarong (multiple uses: towel, scarf, hat, skirt)
if it's likely to get cold, I'll throw in a fleece jacket just in case.

All the important stuff like passport, money and cards are in my concealed money-belt and not in my day bag....

On a long-haul flight I tend to stuff as much as I can in my day bag (which is my carry-on bag) just in case my main pack is delayed when I get to my destination.